


This Will Be Our Favorite Song

by Lyssala



Series: Modern AU [4]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 23:58:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15829566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyssala/pseuds/Lyssala
Summary: A collection of Tumblr requests that take place in an Alternative Modern Day Universe where Eren saved Mikasa as children from a home invasion that killed her parents and caused her to live with the Jaegers. Stories range from teenagers to married with kids. Ratings vary by chapter; K-T.





	1. Horror Movie

_**Anonymous:**  I love your Eremika fics, so I was hoping I could request one in which Eren and Mikasa can't sleep after watching a horror movie together, but neither will admit they're scared. :3_

* * *

 

It was a good idea Mikasa thought. She and Eren were alone in the house while his parents were out of town and Armin wasn’t coming over till the morning to spend the rest of the weekend with them. Why not turn off every light in the house and watch a horror movie? Aunt Carla normally didn’t let them watch those types of movies too much. While she let them watch some rated R movies at fifteen, horror movies tended to not be on that list. Luckily, Uncle Grisha secretly loved horror movies and had a stash of them in his room that Eren happened to find one day.

Mikasa sent Eren to go pick out which one looked the scariest while she made popcorn. When he came back she was already on the couch, popcorn bowl in her lap.

He held up the movie for her to see, wanting approval on his choice. Eren went with a Stephen King adaption movie which was always a good choice in Mikasa’s opinion. Not that she had seen all that many but she tried to read one of his books once and it didn’t go quite as well as she was expected. She slept with a nightlight for two months after it; thankfully no one asked her why.

Eren popped the DVD in and sat down on the couch next to her, hands in the popcorn bowl. He skipped to the title page with the remote in his other hand and pressed play signaling the eerie music of the beginning of the movie to start playing.

Needless to say it much worse than Mikasa expected…again. Something about watching a movie meant to terrify people in the Jaegers’ rather large house, with absolutely no lights on and no one else home had her trying not to jump every time something happened in the movie. Watching the empty hallways on the screen where apparitions would appear, things popping up in the distance of the long shots, realizing the characters weren’t alone in the massive building, and wondering how much was real and how much was the descent into madness. Then of course it was watching the madness take over and sitting on pins and needles as the final scenes played through.

It was a bit more than just a jump scare flick, though the last bits she was pretty sure she did enough jumping to make up for it. Not to mention that they were alone in a large house.

Eren tried to make it light by making snide comments or laughing at moments that weren’t exactly funny. She wasn’t really sure if he was doing it for her sake or for his. Mikasa was apt to think it was for her because he seemed perfectly fine, like he had watched the movie a dozen times at midnight in the pitch black. Once the popcorn was done and the last image of the movie was fading into the credits, Mikasa wasn’t sure what to do. Her bedroom upstairs seemed miles away and they purposefully left all the lights out that might cut out any images her mind conjured up in the darkness of the house.

Eren turned the TV off suddenly, putting out any light they did have. He stretched his arms over his head, and loud yawn pulling at his lips. “I’m ready to sleep and not have to wake up any time soon.”

She laughed a little, trying hard not to look behind her just in case. “Yeah, me too.”

Mikasa really had thought this was a good idea but at the prospect of laying in bed in the dark and alone had her swallowing hard. She supposed this was the reason Aunt Carla didn’t let them watch horror movies. Granted, Eren did seem fine as he pushed himself up to his feet and waited for her to do the same. Maybe he had seen it before. She could see him waking up and sneaking downstairs to watch movies with his dad when his mom was long asleep. Maybe he was just used to them by now.

Mikasa quickly stood up as well and followed him (a little more closely than she’d like to admit) through the kitchen that led to the back staircase leading them to the upstairs hallway. It seemed a lot longer and a lot more menacing than it usually did.

Eren halted in his tracks, putting his arm up to have her stop as well.

Her heart sunk down into her stomach and her body froze. Despite the way she wanted to curl against his back and not look at whatever it is he saw or heard she managed a whispered, “What?”

He turned his head back to her, that telltale grin on his lips. “Nothing.”

Mikasa shoved his shoulder with her hand and brushed by him to get out of the hallway. Maybe she’d feel better in her room. “Goodnight, Eren.”

“Mika, I was kidding, c’mon.”

She shut her bedroom door and leaned back against it trying desperately to regain her normal heart rate from Eren scaring her half to death and from having his face so close to hers. It was bad enough she had a crush on the boy she lived with since she was nine, but he had to be an asshole too. She heard the echo of his door closing; at least she hoped it was him.

Mikasa shook her head. This was stupid. It was just a movie. She walked the short distance to her bed and curled up under the blankets. There, that was better.

It wasn’t better at all.

She heard every single creak of the house, every single movement outside her window. Normal noises she assumed but she just couldn’t get the images of small ghostly children wandering the hallway just outside her door, appearing in her room…

Mikasa pulled her blanket over her head, covering her whole body under it. She grabbed the stuffed rabbit that was laying near her and clenched her eyes closed, burring her face in the worn fur of the old stuffed animal Eren gave her years ago. This was so stupid. She was never afraid of anything in this house before. She had nightmares sometimes of course but those were of real people; people breaking in and hurting the Jaegers like they hurt her parents. Those were the people who could hurt her not some apparition that probably wasn’t even there.

She jumped when she heard a floor board creek in the hall. Real or not that didn’t make her any less terrified. What she wanted was to not be alone. It really wasn’t too unusual for her to share a bed with Eren at night even as they grew from kids into teenagers. His presence and steady breathing always helped to lull her off to a dreamless sleep. Mikasa couldn’t let him know how terrified she was though, not when he was perfectly fine after the movie.

There was another creak a little louder this time.

Mikasa cuddled deeper under her blankets. It was just the house shifting that’s all. It was a big house, it did that a lot.

It was right outside her door this time.

She threw off her blankets and tentatively placed her feet on the floor. It was always better to face your fears. Right? As she slowly walked to the door she wondered if judo would work on a ghost. With one embarrassingly shaking hand on the door knob, she pulled it open only to come face to face with Eren. With a surprised yelp, she stumbled backwards into her room. It wasn’t her finest moment.

He didn’t look much better, standing there a bit awkwardly, a baseball bat poised in his hand.

Mikasa pressed her hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath. “Eren? What’re you doing?”

“I…uh…thought I’d come see how you were doing?” His words said one thing but she saw the tension in his body, the way his jaw was clenched. He was afraid too.

Relief filled her body. She wasn’t alone; in more ways than one. “What were you gonna do?” Suddenly she couldn’t stop laughing. “Beat a ghost with a bat?”

“I don’t know,” he groaned, dropping the bat as he stepped into her room. “Demons have hard bodies right?”

“How’d we go from ghosts to demons?” Everything seemed ridiculous now.

Eren shrugged dramatically. “Aren’t they the same things in some beliefs? How the hell am I supposed to know?”

“Oh my God, Eren.”

“Whatever, I figured you wouldn’t want to be alone.”

Mikasa knew that translation was, “I don’t want to be alone.” She moved back to her bed, laying down back under the blanket but leaving enough room for him to climb in; which he promptly did. Everything was much less terrifying with Eren there; even if he wouldn’t be much help should there be an actual ghost situation.

He draped his arm over her waist, fingertips brushing against her lower back.

When she looked up his eyes were already shut, breathing becoming steady. He always looked so much younger when he slept. Alright, maybe watching a horror movie hadn’t been that bad of an idea in retrospect.


	2. Birthday

_**Anonymous:**  Would you consider doing another birthday fic [like the one modern au one you did for Mikasa](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2015415/chapters/4499535)?_

* * *

 

For someone who always seemed so oblivious, Eren was probably the hardest person to surprise. Mikasa was planning his birthday party for months and every step along the way he was right there sticking his nose into it. Granted, it was a little hard to hide something so large from someone who lived down the hall from her but she thought she was doing okay with what she had to work with. Aside from that one time she was trying to pick out a cake online and he popped up behind her out of nowhere. He wouldn’t drop why she closed her laptop so fast for days.

They’d have it here at the house, the backyard was big enough to house all his friends and that way Carla could cook whatever she had planned without worrying how they were supposed to transport it. Armin was going to take Eren out for breakfast and their usual going to buy whatever gift the other one wanted for their birthday so that way Eren wouldn’t be here while they were setting up. Mikasa had it all under control; she had a group set up that there was no way Eren could see with the people invited. He’d never know what was coming.

“Hey, Mika?” There was a knock on the door but she wasn’t sure why because Eren just opened it a moment later without her saying anything. “You wanna come with me and Armin to breakfast tomorrow? He just informed me we’re going.”

Mikasa shook her head, quickly closing out of the tab that had his birthday party group up. “No, you guys go have fun. We’ll do something when you get back.”

Eren closed the door behind him and walked the short distance to hop up on her bed like she thought he might. He laid his head down on one of her pillows and rolled over on his side to face her. “You sure? I know how much you love breakfast. How can you turn down chocolate chip pancakes with friends?”

“I appreciate at it, but really its fine. Armin wants to celebrate your birthday with you.” Mikasa also had plenty to do at home tomorrow morning that she needed to be here for; all of this was her idea after all.

“It’s Armin. He won’t mind.”

“I know he won’t mind, that’s not the point.” She leaned over and pressed her lips to his. “Thank you, but it’s okay.”

“Alright,” he murmured against her before she sat up again.

“What do you wanna do for your birthday when you get back then?” Mikasa asked, pushing her computer aside and shifting to face him.

Eren shrugged. “I dunno, watch a movie maybe, eat some cake. “ He looked up at her with a glint in his eyes. “Have a perfectly executed birthday party in my backyard with my mom’s cooking?”

Mikasa blinked at him for a moment and then she saw the grin on his lips. He knew. How the hell did he find out? She made sure she covered all her tracks at all times. She reached over to hit him a few times in his side. “How did you know, you ass?”

He was laughing as he grabbed a hold of her hands trying to get her to stop hitting him but it didn’t work so well.

“I planned for months for this to be a surprise!”

“I know, Mikasa, I’m sor-hey! That one hurt!”

“Good!”

Eren laughed again and reached over to pull her down onto the bed against him. “I’m sorry,” he said still chuckling. “I really wasn’t gonna tell you I knew.”

“How?” she sighed. Despite how much her efforts were just wasted, she still couldn’t help but curl into his warm presence.

“Connie. He slipped it out last week.”

“So that’s why he avoided me all week I assume.”

“He thought you’d kill him if you found out.”

“Well, he’s right.”

Eren laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Surprise or not, thank you for doing that for me. And hey I still don’t know what’s going on. I just know it’s happening.”

She sighed but couldn’t hold back her smile. It was still worth it even if the surprise was ruined; which really shouldn’t have surprised her with the amount of times he stuck his nose in what she was trying to do.

“Please tell me there’s a piñata?”

“Aunt Carla banned piñatas after your tenth birthday when you hit it so many times it flew off and nearly hit Jean in the face and broke the fence.”

“I was aiming for him so I was close.”

Mikasa hit him again but wrapped her arms around him shortly after, her head falling against his chest. He tucked his chin over her head, hands drumming lightly on her back.

“Balloon animals?”

“No,” she laughed.

“Clowns?”

“Eren, you hate clowns.”

“That’s true. What’s funny about white face paint, half bald heads with crazy colored hair sticking out, and giant red noses? No, that’s nightmare fuel is what it is.”

“And you stayed up to watch  _It_ even after your mom specifically told you not to.”

Eren snorted. “At least she never had to take me to the circus again.”

“There will be cake,” Mikasa said. “I picked it out.”

“Safe to say there will be Oreo crumbs somewhere in there?”

“Of course, I know you don’t I?”

He tilted his head down to kiss her and Mikasa couldn’t even pretend to be mad at him anymore. “I’ll still act surprised.”

“Promise?”

“As long as there’s a petting zoo I promise.”

Mikasa reached over to hit him again but he caught her hand with his, and her lips with his again.


	3. Make Up

_**Anonymous:**  Could you write a little snitbit of Eren and Mikasa breaking up and getting back together?_

* * *

 

Eren figured by the time he’d come home, Mikasa would already be asleep; at least he hoped she’d be, it was kind of late. He carefully opened the door trying to make sure it didn’t make any noise but it wasn’t much good because when Eren looked up from closing the door behind him she was sitting on the couch, her eyes watching him.

“Mikasa,” he said a little surprised that she was awake, and a little more surprised at how angry she looked. “What’re you doing up still? Did something happen?”

“Where have you been?” She sounded tired, weary and he had a feeling it wasn’t just because it was late.

“Well, after I was done painting the owner of the house liked the job so much he took me and some other people out for dinner,” Eren shrugged. He really didn’t see what the big deal was, he texted her that’s where he was going; it’s not like he just left without saying a word. “I told you that though. I mean I know it took a bit longer than expected but I did tell you were I was going.”

“Eren, that’s not the point.” She had her arms crossed against her chest now, resting on her swollen stomach. “You were supposed to be home to help me with the nursery today. I didn’t say anything when you told me you were going out because I did think it was a nice thing of them to do but then hours later and you still weren’t home to do what you promised me you would.”

He hit the back of his head up against the door. Fuck. He did promise that; no wonder she was so upset. They only had a few months left to get everything ready, and the room was not even a little close to being done. “Mikasa, shit, I’m so sorry. I completely forgot that was today. I’ll do it tomorrow okay?”

“You’re still missing the point,” she said, standing up. “It’s not just this one time. It’s been every time. I know work is hard to come by sometimes, and I know it’s been hard but, Eren, I need you here too. Are you just gonna go out and forget to pick up our child when you’re supposed to?”

“No, Mikasa, of course not. Who do you think I am?” He felt tension curl his shoulders as frustration boiled up in his stomach. “We wanted to have a family, me included. I forget one thing and now I’m the bad guy. I said I was sorry, what more do you want from me?”

“If it wasn’t already blatantly obvious you’re going to be a father, so I suggest you start acting like one or I will do this on my own.” Mikasa turned without another word to the hallway. Shortly after Eren heard their bedroom door shut.  

With a frustrated groan he ran both his hands through his hair. How was that fair at all? He was working, he was doing his job to be able to support their family and she says he’s not acting like a father. What the hell got into her? Jesus. Well, clearly she didn’t want to have anything to do with him right now, or ever apparently. Whatever.

Eren huffed as he walked down the hallway Mikasa had but stopped short of their room where he definitely didn’t want to go right now and opened the door to the nursery instead. If she wanted him to paint the damn room, then he’d paint the damn room and still get up and go to work like he always did. He flipped on the light to the room but his anger quickly got replaced with guilt when he did see the state of the room. It looked like Mikasa tried to do what he was supposed to help her with; the crib was halfway put together, one of the bookshelves was leaning up against a primed wall, only one wall was painted the light green color they picked out what seemed like months ago. She didn’t look like she got very far but whether she gave up or whether she physically couldn’t do it anymore still gave him the same amount of guilt for not remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

He draped a tarp over the bookshelf and over the crib before leaning over all the paint she left out. He could paint the walls, they were primed and ready, but he wanted to do something else. It might not make up for the stress he put his very pregnant wife through but Eren had never been very good at apologizing with his words anyway. He left the room to the closet across the hall where he kept his personal art supplies for when he painted; the nursery used to be his studio, but he was more than happy to give that up for his son, and he had to remember he’d have to give up much more as time went on. It was worth it though, his family always would be.

Eren had no idea when he fell asleep on the floor of the nursery but that sure as hell was where he was when he opened his eyes. Mikasa was sitting next to him, her hand gently shaking his shoulder and her forehead furrowed in concern.

“Hey, wow,” Eren said lifting his head and body off the plastic that covered the floor, well tried to, the plastic stuck to the paint that had dried on his face and arms. A yawn pulled at his lips; yeah, maybe staying up to paint wasn’t his best idea ever. His whole body ached, and he felt like he hadn’t gotten a moment of sleep at all. “What time is it?”

Mikasa didn’t answer; she just watched him as she kneeled in front of him, her eyes starting to water.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry, Mika, its fine.” He reached out to her but dropped his hands short, remembering why he came in here last night in the first place.

“I’m sorry, Eren,” she said first, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean what I said. I was just so upset you forgot and I couldn’t even finish what I tried to do because I didn’t want to do it alone, I don’t want to do this alone.”

“I know, I don’t want you to.” He reached for her again and carefully pulled her into him, her head falling against his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I messed up yesterday. I should’ve been here for you and I wasn’t. I won’t let it happen again.” He rubbed her back and leaned his head against hers. “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’m gonna go to work today, then come right home and we can do whatever you want. In the mean time I’ll have my mom come over and see what she can help you with. I know she won’t mind. Sound good?”

“Okay,” Mikasa nodded against his shoulder. Her eyes must have looked up at the room around her though, because he heard her gasp. “Did you paint that last night?”

Eren glanced to the wall he had fallen asleep against. It was a few trees that he did his best to mimic the old scroll paintings trying to get the look of a thick forest, there were some shrines, and some happy little forest spirits lingering around the trees and floating over to where the crib would be. “Ah, yeah, I felt bad so I wanted to get something done. I know we still hadn’t really picked a theme but I thought it should have something to do with your culture so even though he might only know my family, he’ll still know where he comes from on your side.”

“I love it thank you.” She was crying again, but at least it was because he made her happy this time.

“Of course.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Eren?”

“Yeah?”

“You might want to shower before you go. You’re covered in paint.”

That he expected; it was generally how it went whether he was painting a house or painting a mural. “Huh.” He leaned over and stuck a few fingers into one of the still open paint containers before running his hand over Mikasa’s bare arm. “So are you, what a shame.”

She hit her hand against his chest but she was laughing now and that was the one thing he always wanted to hear.  


	4. Baby Shower

_**Anonymous:**  for a request how about all the girls are all pregnant around the same time and decided to have one big baby shower together including their partners!_

* * *

Eren wasn’t hiding. He had no reason to whatsoever. He just happened to enjoy sleeping on the couch in Armin’s study. If Eren didn’t know Armin well enough, Eren would say Armin came in here just to sleep. Which was exactly why Eren wasn’t allowed to have anything like that in his studio; absolutely nothing would ever get done. Case and point of him already half asleep on this couch.

If anyone asked he’d just say he stayed up too late working on some projects that had deadlines, which wasn’t a lie, and had absolutely nothing to do with the copious amount of pregnant women downstairs.

Okay, but really could anyone blame him? He loved his friends, he absolutely did but he’d really like to keep all his body parts in one place. One slip of a word could set any one of them off and Eren was perfectly okay with the peace and quiet this room brought. Though he knew it wouldn’t be too long before someone realized he was missing and went to drag him back down into the party.

Whose grand idea was it to have joint baby shower again? It’s not that he wasn’t happy that his extended family was growing so much; three, he was getting two nephews and one niece all within months of each other. How weird was that? He knew women liked to share things, and had a tendency to do everything together but this was a little too much. He was going to have to buy a lot of presents come Christmas time. Granted, he couldn’t talk too much because it’s not like he helped any. Mikasa was right alongside the rest of her friends, the farthest along at 8 months.

His eyes were still closed but he felt the smile pull at his lips. His wife was of course the exception to anything he may’ve thought. She didn’t drive him crazy, but the rest of them sure did. He really _did_  love each of them. They had all been friends for so long and were a part of each other’s biggest life moments so this was no different. Yet between Historia whose small body was always in some sort of discomfort (and she was the opposite of quiet about it), Sasha who had some of the thickest skin he knew cried because she stepped on a bug the other day, and Annie was uncharacteristically open (it wasn’t a bad thing but it was more than a little strange), it was sometimes hard to be in a room with all of them at the same time. Not that he had any right to talk; he got the easy job in this situation.

Mikasa was fine, no complaints there, but then again he was a little biased. Plus he did already go through it all once. Eren’s eyes snapped open. He probably shouldn’t have left his very pregnant wife alone with a small child. Granted, there was a ton of other people down there more than willing to practice taking care of a child. Babysitting got so much easier when their friends found out there were starting their families too though that would soon come to a sharp halt. Ah well, his mom practically came over every day since Nic was born anyways.

Eren closed his eyes again. They wouldn’t miss him for an hour or so. As long as no one ate all the food and he conveniently missed at least half of the never ending present opening then gushing over the present by everyone in the room he was fine with resting a bit.

“Are you hiding up here?”

Okay, so his hour alone was more or less ten minutes. He cracked an eye open to see Mikasa standing in the doorway, on hand on the wood of the door and the other resting on her stomach. She looked more amused than mad though which was always a good thing in his case.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh no, nothing to do with all the people downstairs?”

He pushed himself up on the couch, sitting his back against the armrest. “Of course not, why would you ever say such a thing?”

“Especially not all those pregnant women?”

“Mikasa, I value my life more than to ever answer that question.”

She laughed as she walked into the room, carefully lowering herself onto the couch that required far more hands than it usually did. He kicked one leg off the couch so she could have room to sit back against him. Eren leaned his head against hers, hands moving to rest on her stomach.

“Whose watching Nic?” Eren asked, trying not to let his eyes droop or he really would fall asleep.

“Oh?” Mikasa turned her head to arch an eyebrow at him. “Now you care about the wellbeing of your son, do you?”

“Stop it,” he snorted. “I didn’t abandon him to the wolves…well, maybe I did.”

She elbowed him in the gut but the fact she was laughing took away from it.

“I made sure he was perfectly content playing with Marco.”

“Before you abandoned me to the wolves?”

“Mik, that’s no way to talk about our friends.”

She knocked her head gently against his, the baby flipping around under Eren’s hands as Mikasa laughed. He was happy for his friends, he really was. Now they got to experience all the happiness he found in his children and he got to laugh at all the things they laughed at him for.

“C’mon, we should go back down,” she said, tapping his hands with hers.

He leaned in to press his cheek to hers. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“Is the cake ready?”

“Oh my God, come on,” she laughed already starting to attempt to push herself up.

Eren slipped out behind her so he could stand up first before reaching down to take her hands, helping her up to her feet. She took in a breath as she regained her center of balance.

“You good?” he asked, not wanting to let go if she wasn’t.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” she said, waving him off.

“You sure cause we could stay here a little longer.”

“C’mon,” she chuckled, walking, though a bit slowly to the door. “It’s a party where people are willingly giving you gifts for your child. Be a little social, Eren.”

“I’m not concerned about being social,” he said as he followed her into the hallway. “I am concerned about one of the many pregnant women here throwing something at my head.”

Mikasa turned her head to give him a small smile. “Like you aren’t used to that.”

“Oh, so funny today.”

“There you guys are,” Jean said stopping halfway up the stairs when he saw them in the hallway. “C’mon we were waiting for you.”

Eren rubbed his hands together. “So it is time for the cake.”

“Presents first, then cake,” Jean said, already heading back down the stairs. “I found them!” he shouted into the kitchen.

It’s not like Eren wasn’t grateful everyone came and everyone actually bought gifts for four babies but this might take a million years. He held his hand out to Mikasa to help her down the stairs. “Ready to have the baby before we even open everyone’s presents?”

“As long as there’s a new car seat in there, I could care less.”

The noise and laughter from the patio was already getting the louder the closer they got but it was okay; his friends were happy, his family was healthy, he could sit through the never ending present apocalypse.

“Ma, are you ever gonna leave their kitchen?” Eren asked as they stepped through the area that was packed with half eaten food and knowing his mom more on the way.

“Hush now,” Carla said, waving him off with an oven mitt but looking up from whatever she was stirring. “I didn’t see you complaining.”

“I’m sure not,” Connie said, heading towards the patio door with a full plate of food.

“C’mon, Mom, we’re opening presents. It’s your favorite part, crying over baby clothes.” Eren put his hands on Mikasa’s shoulders, leading her out to where the party had congregated.

“I’ll be there in a second,” Carla said. “I can’t remember if I put mine and your father’s name on the bag but you’ll know it if I’m not there.”

“You mean the one overflowing with a variety of small dresses in every color of the rainbow?” Mikasa asked.

Carla looked up to wink. “You got it, dear.”

It looked like everyone was taking a seat outside on the patio and grass. The left up left Sasha who was munching off Connie’s plate, Historia who looked even tinier than usual in the large arm chair Ymir must’ve dragged out, Annie who already got cake (how fair was that? Armin was a cheater), Sasha was there too still eating (another?) plate of food and an empty chair for Mikasa, too many presents to count piled behind them.

“Are you gonna write everything down for me?” she asked as she pushed open the screen door to step out.

“Depends, are you gonna yell at me when you can’t read my hand writing?”

“Decipher for me and we’re all good.”

Eren shut the door behind him just in time to have a forceful weight hit both his legs. Thankfully he was used to being crashed into by a toddler and caught his balance without breaking Armin’s screen…again. Nic’s arms were tight around Eren’s legs as the small face, full of energy and excitement looked up at him hopefully.

“Daddy, can I help open presents?” he asked.

Eren reached down to pick Nic up, holding him over the people already sitting down so he could see better. “Well, you gotta ask the ladies if that’s okay.”

Nic opened his mouth but from the looks of it, they already heard them.

“Well, there’s a few requirements,” Annie said, dropping her fork on her plate. “All helpers have to have brown hair, be wearing green shirts, and have to be shorter than Historia’s legs.”

“I am!” Nicolas said, raising his hands up in the air and causing Eren to reach his other hand up to steady the small boy as Eren followed Mikasa to her chair.

“I’m gonna ignore that jab at my height, Annie,” Historia said. “And agree with the conditions.”

“I dunno,” Sasha mused, while Eren put Nic on his feet in front of them. “I think the helper needs to like cake too.”

Nicolas placed his hands on Sasha’s knees, looking up at her with big eyes. “I love cake.”

“Okay, we’re set for a helper then.” She reached down and ruffled his hair.

Connie grabbed the first box to pass out, but seemed to be a little heavier than he was expecting and he nearly dropped it on the patio. “I dunno what they got you, Sasha, but I’m guessing rocks.” He placed it down in front of her, Nicolas sitting down cross-legged nearby and itching to open some gifts.

Mikasa sat down in her chair with a sigh as she watched Nic help Sasha open up the first of many, many gifts about to go around.

“You doing okay?” Eren asked, leaning up against the side of the house right next to her.

She rubbed her hand over her stomach but looked up at him. “I’m fine. She’s just using the inside of my stomach as a trampoline.”

Eren crouched down, leaning his head close to Mikasa’s stomach as he placed a hand over it. He felt the baby kicking easily and really couldn’t imagine how it felt being on the opposite end of that. “Okay, little girl, I know you’ve gotten all your stubbornness from me, and I’m sure your mom knows as well, but take it easy on the gymnastics. Your mom’s the one whose gonna feed you, I’d be nice if I were you.”

“Hey, Eren, here,” Armin said, holding up a small notepad and pen from his spot by Annie.

Eren took the pad and pen, flipping it to an empty page. “Oh, yes, thank you, my favorite.”

“Make sure you don’t forget anything, especially the things you don’t care for.” Armin pointed back at Eren while Armin moved over to take Annie’s plate from her.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Look, Mama, this one’s for you,” Nic said, dragging over a bag that was half his size.

“Oh, thank you so much. Are you ready to help me?” She asked, leaning over a bit to help him pull the bag closer.

“Yeah!”

Mikasa looked over at Eren who crouched down on his side. “Are you ready?”

Despite the amount of people here, and probably how long he was gonna be here, they were still having a party for a very specific reason; his friends were having babies, he was having another baby. Their homes would be so much bigger now, parties so much louder, and a whole lot more love to go around. That was always reason for a celebration. He could wait a little for cake.

“Absolutely.”

 


End file.
